Myrtle Beach homeless court gives second chance to those in need

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – It’s a program that gives a second chance to homeless people who are facing charges in the Myrtle Beach area.

The Myrtle Beach homeless court opened for session on Wednesday at the New Directions shelter.

Instead of being sent to jail, homeless court allows those who are currently homeless, or were homeless at the time of their charge, the chance to enter a diversion program.

The program includes 12-step fellowships, coping skills and criminal addictive thinking.

Kathy Jenkins, the executive director of New Directions, said it’s all about finding a positive solution.

“Two of our homeless clients have been working on a service plan for two totally different issues where they had multiple charges that were holding them back and keeping them from moving forward to reach, what we like to call, a positive solution. We want all of our people to get jobs or disability income and get housing,” Jenkins said.

Myrtle Beach is the third city in South Carolina to start the program.

The first was in Columbia in 2015, followed by Charleston last year.

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